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Nicholas Ealing
Nicholas Ealing is a British officer, serving in the 3rd American Armoured Division, 3rd Armoured Brigade. He fought in the Second World War. Profile Pre-War Nicholas Robert Ealing was born in Oxford to an English father and Welsh mother. His father, William, served as a Major in the First World War and died in 1917 when Nicholas was seven years old. Following his father's death, Nicholas moved to Camarthen in South West Wales, where his mother's brother, Geraint, agreed to take the family in. Nicholas moved back to Oxford to enrol in the city's infamous University and found himself facing many painful memories of his late father. During his time at the University, he befriended Evelyn Despaigne, the French school-mistress of the local primary school. He graduated in 1930 and married Evelyn two years later. Their first child, Henry, was born in 1933 and a second son, Jake, was born four years later, in 1937. Spanish Civil War Nicholas, along with many other idealistic volunteers, attatched himself to the British Battalion during this conflict. Having been granted the commission of Second Lieutenant, he had his first experience of combat at Jarama, where he also killed his first man. He was himself injured in the large battle, recieving a flesh wound to the leg, and being stationed at a military hospital for the next few weeks. Nicholas would see action in both Aragon and Brunete before returning home to England in 1938 as something of a neighbourhood hero. During the early stages of this war, Second Lieutenant Ealing was severely reprimanded for cowardice in the face of the enemy and was very nearly dishonourably discharged from the volunteer force altogether. He redeemed himself somewhat during the battle of Aragon, when he saved the life of his commanding officer with little regard for his own safety. Time in the British Army: 1939-1941 When war broke out between Britain and Germany in 1939, Nicholas instantly signed up to defend Britain's shores. His first post was with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, where he met and befriended Rhys and David Bevan. He served with the British unit for a full two years until the battle of Dunkirk, where he was commended for gallantry and promoted to full Lieutenant. Despite this high accolade, Nicholas broke all ties with the British Army, horrified at the massacre. In an unorthodox move, High Command allowed him to transfer to an American division, in a bid to strengthen trans-Atlantic ties with the newly-allied U.S Army. Time in the U.S Army: 1941-1945 Nicholas saw action throughout the conflict, but was perhaps best known for the role he played in the Battle of the Bulge. Stationed at the small village of Rocherath, Nicholas and his men managed to hold off a vicious German assault on an artillery battery, snatching a narrow victory with most of the German force killed or captured while sustaining extremely heavy causalities to his own force. Rivalry with Strumfelder During the late stages of the war, a small squad of SS soldiers landed on the occupied Channel Islands. They captured dozens of innocent children and took them back to Germany, presumably to death, slavery and torture. The band was led by Erhard Strumfelder and William Luther and one of the children was Nicholas' nephew, Robin. Learning of his nephew's disappearance, Nicholas almost broke down completely, adamant to kill Strumfelder himself. On one occasion, Nicholas questioned Corporal Joe Claude, a past prisoner of Strumfelder's for information and on another accepted a captured diary from Daniel Brennan, hoping to gleam intelligence about the doctor from its pages. The Lieutenant even joined elements of the 7th Armoured Division on a suicidal mission into the heart of Africa, believing that Strumfelder was present. Due to the force's failiure to sweep the area in search of explosives, the squad chanced upon a mine field and were forced to retreat under heavy casualties. The bombing of a tiny village in the North of England (where a miniscule 3ID force was positioned) is implied to have been masterminded by Strumfelder in a bid to kill Nicholas who was stationed there at the time. This has neither been confirmed nor denied, although Nicholas himself heavily suggested it to Corporal Ben Shirley. Meeting Liam Brentwood Nicholas chanced upon the renegade group, The Jackals, torturing a young German soldier in a forest in France. Bitter and self-destructive over Strumfelder, he very nearly succumbed to Captain Liam Brentwood's murderous persuasions. Realising that his downwards spiral into depression and hate could very well mirror Brentwood's, Nicholas refuses to kill the German, instead turning his sights on the vicious Englishman. Objecting to Brentwood’s actions, Nicholas is shot numerous times by the sadistic Captain and left for dead on the forest floor. If not for the quick thinking of Nicholas’ men, he would almost certainly have died from his wounds. Strumfelder’s Disappearance Some time later, Strumfelder disappeared off the face of the planet, implied to have been assassinated by the Gestappo. Nicholas was initially suspicious of this developement until a body matching Strumfelder's description was found washed up on the shores of France. The Lieutenant, now more or less over the loss of his nephew, only lamented that he hadn't "killed him myself". Nicholas would later recieve a letter from a very-much alive Strumfelder, promising to hunt him down. Operation Stormcrow By 1944, Nicholas had been approached by a Colonel Nixon to lead an eight-man team into Brittany to quell pro-Fascist insurgents in the region. Nicholas would later set up a meeting with Daniel Brennan and Andew Ryan to discuss the operation. Personality and Relationships Nicholas is an intelligent and thoughtful man, extremely protective of his family and friends. Despite being a respected and capable soldier, he is prone to bouts of childishness, expressed in his unwavering good-naturedness and cheerfulness. These qualities tend to put his men at ease, raising morale considerably. It is hinted that Nicholas is fully aware of this and exaggerates his personality for the good of the men. His unorthodox personality is also implied to be something of a defensive mechanism adopted after the loss of his nephew. Nicholas tends to be friendlier with the non-commisioned ranks than fellow officers. He developed strong friendships with David Bevan and Michael Norrington and is friendly with Daniel Brennan During a vehicle inspection, Nicholas met and was infuriated by Corporal Ben Shirley. Nicholas, irritated by the man’s inpudence, angry at his accusations of prejudice and somewhat confused by his grasp of slang, disliked the young man intensely. However, when Shirley saved his life during a bombing raid, Nicholas discovered a newfound respect for the corporal. More recently, he has been shown to have a fairly good relationship with two subordinate officers, Lieutenant Lawrence Peale and Second Lieutenant Richard Dalton. He discovered his nemesees in Erhard Strumfelder, Liam J. Brentwood and William Luther. Category:Characters of Issuing Orders Category:Operation Stormcrow